Magna Potentia
by 0sleep
Summary: Set after Trinity - Forced to abandon a six month search for Rodney, Sheppard's team meet a boy who possesses a strong ATA gene and a natural understanding of the Ancients.
1. Prologue

Thanks to annem57 for beta-ing

 **Prologue**

Following the failure of Project Arcturus at Doronda, Doctor McKay had been pulled from off-world duty as well as suspended as Head of the Science department. Despite the valid reasons behind the decisions, the Atlantis personnel en masse ostracised the scientist.

Four weeks following the Doronda incident, Mckay was allowed to return to off-world duty, but only due to an illness on Major Lorne's team. By this stage, rumours of McKay's fall from grace had reached the Genii, who saw it as the perfect opportunity to abduct the scientist and put him to work for their own goals.

The days following Rodney's abduction had been difficult.

Major Lorne's team had been blaming themselves, extremely critical of their own actions. They had hated the fact that they were 'babysitting' the physicist. They had pushed him away, walking faster than they knew he could maintain, forcing him to half run the entire time. By the time they had realised that their contact had betrayed them to the Genii, it was far too late. Rodney was far from them, unconscious and being led away. If they had just treated him as they normally should, the outcome could have been very different.

Elizabeth was likewise blaming herself. Following Doronda, she had chewed McKay out, demeaning the scientist in front of both civilians and military alike. She had removed him from his position and all but confined him to his quarters. While she had intended to visit with him in the days that followed, but other things kept popping up delaying her. The rest of the personnel followed her example of ignoring Rodney, monkey see monkey do after all. It had taken less than a day to shun Rodney, turning him into a social pariah overnight. And what good had it done? No matter how many teams she sent out now to try and find any information about the scientist's abduction, her guilt over her treatment of him would be difficult to assuage.

Teyla and Ronan were going offworld as much as possible. Neither of them had agreed with how Rodney had been treated and they had made their feelings known both to Rodney and to any who dared spurn him in their presence. McKay for his part, was grateful to not have been completely abandoned by those he cared about, but as the days grew into weeks, it began to take its toll on him. Everything had changed now. Following the announcement of Rodney's abduction, the entire base seemed to collectively realise that they had gone too far and now it was too late. Ronan had walked into the gym and beaten a hole clear through a punching bag to vent his anger lest he hurt someone. Teyla had meditated until her legs hurt, then prayed to the ancestors until her voice was hoarse. When the pair ran into each other, they nodded in understanding and began searching offworld with every contact they could, returning Atlantis only to pass on any information they had before leaving again. Neither would rest until they found their friend. Neither would give up hope.

Carson was beside himself. He had busied himself devising possible treatments for whatever possible injury of illness could befall Rodney. Without fail, the nurse on duty would be there beside him, giving him a sounding board. Every time he thought he exhausted the possibilities, he would go and inventory the medical supplies, with whatever member of his nursing staff happened to be there. This would continue until someone thought of a possible malady that could occur, when Beckett would return to solving that potential problem. Despite his hypochondria, the medical staff had a soft spot for Rodney. Despite his protestations of them working 'voodoo', whenever something broke in the infirmary or they needed extra resources for something, he would be there as quickly as he could, often solving the problem in minutes. Everyone who worked under Carson had become concerned for Rodney's mental health and now that he was gone, they were all united in making sure that no matter what scenario could have befallen him, they would be there, ready to render aid and do no harm.

Radek was nearing his wit's end. He could never understand how Rodney had been able to cope with the workload he had, constantly being interrupted by every small issue that occurred. He now truly understood why McKay believed that those around him were idiots when they couldn't be trusted to make decisions that wouldn't kill everyone without supervision. He had noticed that now that Rodney was truly missing as opposed to simply being restricted from the labs that the whispers about him had suddenly stopped. It was truly astounding how in the blink of an eye, it seemed as everyone finally realised the sheer amount of work that the head of science for the city had done, without acknowledgment or thanks.

As the days became weeks, Sheppard knew how much he had been to blame. Not only had he completely shut out everyone for weeks, he had effectively implied that is was fine for those under his command to do the same to Rodney. When Ronan had voiced his frustrations at Sheppard, by pinning him to a wall and making him listen, he hadn't given credence to what he was being warned about. Now he understood far too well. By ostracising Rodney and not stopping others doing the same, he never allowed the scientist the chance to regain his trust. And he had only himself to blame. He had tried to keep himself occupied by going on offworld missions to try and find the man he had called his best friend, only to come back empty handed and more frustrated. It had only taken a couple of days for Sheppard to realise that the City itself was mad at him. Lights no longer came on by themselves when he entered a room. The transporters refused to work for him, forcing him to walk the long way. Even the doors begrudgingly opened.

On so many days, John found himself outside Rodney's quarters, missing what he had lost. He reached up to the door control out of habit, only to be greeted by nothing. The door remained stubbornly shut. At first some had thought that it was just a malfunction, but when none could be found, the realisation had dawned on a few. Atlantis itself was protecting the last remnant of Rodney McKay from defilement. Even the military officers knew not to approach McKay's door. When one had suggested that they blow the door up, the next time he entered a transporter, he found himself at the far side of the East Pier facing a long walk back. Sheppard knew that if McKay was not found, the City would never be the same again. In fact, it might never let him or anyone else forget how much they had failed the man who had saved Atlantis countless times. Sheppard resolved that he would do whatever it would take to rescue his friend, to restore the trust that had been lost, both with Rodney and the City.

The weeks slowly turned into months and life had to continue. For the Atlantis Expedition, it seemed that life had changed too much for anyone's liking. While research had continued and new discoveries were made, no one was keen to forget that Doctor McKay was no longer with them. Nor would the majority accept that he was lost forever. A few months after his disappearance, Colonel Sheppard, Major Lorne, Doctor Weir, Doctor Zelenka, Teyla and Ronan gathered to read over the latest intel. The group had decided that until they had seen a body, they would continue the search for Rodney, no matter what. The intelligence report they had received confirmed many of their fears. Shortly after his capture, Mckay had been tortured by the Genii and forced into working on Ancient artefacts. That was unsurprising, but the disturbing part of the intel was a that McKay had been forced to activate an unknown device, which then exploded, leaving no trace of either it or the Doctor.

"I refuse to believe it." Ronan said simply. "He's survived, I know it."

Sheppard nodded. "I agree. I think this is just propaganda."

There was silence for a moment before Weir spoke.

"Then we continue looking. At least we know that Doctor McKay was alive for several weeks following his kidnapping. Major Lorne, go to the next planet and see if you can dig up anything."


	2. M7S-282

Nearly six months had gone by before the IOA officially declared Doctor Rodney McKay as M.I.A and ordered Elizabeth to call off the search. While she had complied officially, both Sheppard and Lorne's teams were told in an 'off the record' discussion that the McKay's position on Sheppard's team was waiting for him to return and fill it and that even though they had other objectives, if they saw anything related to McKay, they should pursue it.

This was the arrangement when Colonel Sheppard, Teyla and Ronan arrived on M7S-282. It was a world that despite being culled a year ago, was quickly becoming a trade centre due to rumours of an abandoned Ancient Outpost. As the trio walked towards the village Ronan voiced his thoughts.

"This is going to be another waste of time Sheppard."

"Oh, you never know, this time could be different."

"I for one am hoping that we are not ambushed like the previous time we heard of an outpost of the Ancestors."

"I'm with you there Teyla, but we need to check this out. If there is an outpost here, they could have a ZPM which could help us."

"Help you, you mean." Ronan's comment was terse, but Colonel Sheppard understood.

"I don't know Ronan. It's like Atlantis won't let me forget what I did to Ro..." He choked back a lump in his throat. "The least we can do is try."

Arriving in the centre of town, it was clear that rumours or not, this village had indeed benefitted from the increased trade. There were merchants with grain, all manner of produce and even fresh meat. Even if there was no outpost, Atlantis could certainly benefit from this trade centre. Teyla approached one of the locals.

"Excuse me, we have come from far away to trade."

"Pleasure be to see you. What do you wish to trade?"

"Knowledge actually." Sheppard chimed in. "We have heard the stories of the... Ancestors and wished to learn more for ourselves."

The man chuckled at them.

"Many have come here for that, only to be disappointed when they cannot find what was hidden by the Ancestors." He pointed to a small building next to what appeared to be an inn. "That is Laneya's house. She is the keeper of all of the records. She has the knowledge you seek, but be warned, make sure that your trade is fair for we do not forget unkindness easy here."

With a nod he returned to his stall. Sheppard nodded at the others and they headed off to the little house. As they entered the building, they noticed that the walls were filled with manuscripts of all ages. A small, middle aged woman was seated at a low table. She looked up and smiled, gesturing to them to sit down. The trio got as comfortable as they could as she spoke.

"Fair greetings off worlders. I am Laneya, what is needed?"

Teyla smiled at this woman. She seemed to be very learned and probably wise beyond her years.

"My name is Teyla Emmagen. This is Colonel Sheppard and this is Ronan. We have come seeking knowledge of the Ancestors."

Laneya nodded thoughtfully.

"There is much to share about that, but what knowledge do you seek? Are you like the others who seek what was hidden only to fall at the first challenge?"

"We heard that they might have hidden something here." Sheppard spoke up. "We were hoping to find it."

"There is but one person who has visited with the Ancestors and returned. It was he alone who could locate and open the portal." She reached behind her and pulled a small wrapped piece of leather of a shelf and unwrapped it, laying it in front of them. Sheppard's eyes widened. Tattooed on the leather was Ancient lettering. "I see you recognise the language of the Ancestors Colonel Sheppard."

"I uh, recognise it, but I never got the hang of reading it. You mentioned that someone has actually seen this hidden place?"

"Indeed. He carefully copied these words and many more. He is the only person I have ever known to be blessed with the gift of understanding the words of the Ancestors."

"Does he still live in this village?" Laneya nodded. "We'd be very grateful if we could talk to him."

"I do not yet have a reason to grant your request. You might wish harm on him."

"I assure you we do not. We only wish..."

John held up a hand.

"I understand that you don't have much reason to trust us, but I can promise you that I would never endanger a friend." Sheppard was surprised with himself. He didn't quite know what made him say that.

"Are we friends now Colonel Sheppard?"

"We would like to be."

Laneya nodded thoughtfully.

"Very well. You will have to wait until after last light. It will take a long time before Ro returns from visiting with the Ancestors."

"This Ro, he is with them now?"

"That is what he calls it. He will return."

Sheppard sighed and sat back. This could still be a bust, but he couldn't ignore the possibility of finding an Ancient Outpost, possibly containing a ZPM. They just had to wait until this Ro returned.

Following a meal, which Teyla and Laneya had prepared, they gathered around the table again so Laneya could show them something. She climbed up a ladder into another room, then carefully returned with a large wrapped parcel. She placed it on the table and unwrapped it, revealing a dozen books, all quite thick. Sheppard picked one up and opened it. He was surprised by what he saw. The pages of the book were made from very fine leather, which had been painstakingly tattooed with Ancient text. In all there were thousands of pages of text.

"This must have taken a long time." Teyla observed. Laneya simply nodded.

"Ro has been doing this for many moons now. He is such a sweet child. He works from first light in the fields. After he is done there, he goes to the place of the Ancestors to continue his work. He feels it is his duty. He has been so blessed. He is the only person I have ever known to be able to read the words of the Ancestors. But he is blessed in many other ways. His dreams are visions from the Ancestors. He has an amazing ability to repair tools he has never seen before."

"He sounds like an amazing kid." Sheppard couldn't help but be impressed. If what she was saying was true, then this kid might be able to help them.

"He is everything a mother could ask for and more. I am so proud of him. Yet he finds it hard to accept praise. It is like he expects it of himself to be able to do these things."

Before Sheppard could respond, the door opened and a lanky teenager barrelled in.

"Forgive my lateness mother. I lost track of the..." The boys noticed that his mother wasn't alone and his shoulders dropped, his long hair falling in front of his face. "Forgive the intrusion mother. I did not mean to..."

"It is all right my child." Laneya said soothingly. She beckoned for him to come over. He took her hand and held it to his forehead, then to his chest. "Come sit with me." The boy did so and pushed his sandy brown hair away from his face revealing a bright blue pair of eyes. "This is Teyla, Colonel Sheppard and Ronan. They have come to learn of the Ancestors. This is my son, Ro Neemak."

Sheppard smiled at the boy who was clearly not expecting this.

"Nice to meet you Ro. You've been working hard it seems." Ro nodded. "Did you write all of these?" Sheppard gestured to the books on the table. Ro nodded again. He began to speak not really looking up at the Colonel.

"I have working to bring the knowledge of the Ancestors back for others. It is a slow process. Their methods for keeping writing are different than ours. But they chose me to reveal their secrets to. I must help them."

Sheppard sighed slightly. He had guessed that the boy had the ATA gene, but it sounded like he was copying the database in the outpost onto the leather pages, letter by letter. He looked at the boys hands. There were small pinpricks all over his fingers, along with patches of black tattoo ink.

"If you showed us where his place of the Ancestors is, maybe we could help you?"

"It only appears before me. I have told others before and they have hurt me when they cannot find it."

Sheppard could practically hear Ronan seething beside him. To hurt a child was inexcusable, regardless of the circumstances.

"Ro." Ronan said almost in a grunt. The boy looked up. "I will not allow anyone to harm you." Ro smiled slightly. Ronan may not have had a way with words, but people quickly understood he meant what he said, regardless of the planet.

"Ro, we understand that you might not trust us, but maybe we can help?"

Ro looked towards his mother, who just held him gently.

"The choice is yours alone."

He looked down at his hands then back up at Sheppard, with a small smile on his face.

"I will show you tomorrow. But the portal only appears before me, it may not appear for you."

"Don't worry, if we don't see it, then you'll have done all that we've asked you to."

Ro's smile brightened before he froze and his face fell. He blinked a few times, then looked at Ronan.

"Ronan Dex... of Sateda?" Ronan slowly nodded, a little shocked. At no point had anyone mentioned where he was from. Ro turned to Teyla. "Teyla Emmagan, of Athos?" Teyla nodded, unsure of what the boy was feeling. He turned to face Sheppard, trembling slightly. "John Sheppard, of America?" John nodded slowly, but he was trying to think if they had met this boy before, but it looked like he wanted to cry. Ro stood slowly. "Doronda... I have failed." He turned to his mother, his body shaking and tears falling off his face. "Forgive me mother. I must rest."

The boy rushed to the ladder and climbed into the upper room. Sheppard could hear to boy crying freely now, repeating to himself that he had failed. Laneya, while concerned for her son seemed less worried about the outburst.

"How did he know our names?"

"This happens from time to time. His dreams sometimes show him unpleasant things."

Sheppard's heart went out to the boy. No one should have the memory of what happened there, let alone someone so young. If he had seen what happened at Doronda, then he understood how bad he felt. Some things were best left until tomorrow.


	3. The Outpost and Old Enemies

Daylight streamed in through the room that Colonel Sheppard and his team had stayed in that night. After assurances from Laneya that her son would be fine, she took them next door to the inn where she arranged a room for them. Teyla was gracious enough for the three of them as Ronan hadn't quite recovered from the boy calling them by their full names and knowing where they were from. The three had attempted to sleep, but Sheppard couldn't stop thinking that whatever 'blessings' the Ancients had given to this kid, he would be able to help them find something to help them locate Rodney.

As they ventured downstairs, the innkeeper pointed them towards a table.

"Young Ro should be over after your meal. Laneya tells me that he has begged his absence from the fields to help you. I hope that you are kind to him. The boy has had enough off-worlders betray his trust."

"We're just in search of information. If we don't find anything, then we'll just leave." Sheppard sighed as the innkeeper nodded his approval. The number of people who had warned them to be kind was now making sense. He wondered how many people had taken advantage of the gifts that the boy had. Too many it would seem. Looking over at Ronan, who was slowly eating his way through the bread on the table, he could see that his team had silently agreed that they would protect the boy while they could.

The door of the inn opened as they were finishing their food to reveal Ro. He nodded towards the three of them before approaching the innkeeper and grasping his hand, pulling in to his chest. Teyla had observed that this was both a form of friendship as well as respect. After a short conversation, Ro bowed his head slightly and approached the three of them. Colonel Sheppard could now see that his hair was pulled away from his face with what appeared to be a reed from a river. He was dressed in a light tan leather vest, with darker pants and what appeared to be thick leather boots. A colourfully woven sack hung off a shoulder.

"I have begged my absence from the harvest today. Are you prepared for the walk? It is not far, but the path is not easy." Ro's voice was much brighter than the previous evening when they had met him. He was more collected and definitely more relaxed. Teyla nodded and they got up, following Ro into the bright daylight. Teyla walked alongside Ro, while Colonel Sheppard and Ronan brought up the rear.

"Thank you for your assistance Ro. I must confess that I am surprised that you are willing to help us."

"It is well with me Teyla. I am afraid I must beg you forgive me. To see you in person was a surprise."

"You were expecting us?" Teyla asked, hoping to understand what the boy had experienced. Sheppard was also very interested in what the boy would say.

"It is difficult for words. I dream and I see visions. I have seen great and terrible things. But I have seen much that brings me joy." Ro thought for a moment while they walked. He turned his head to glance back at Ronan. "I have seen Ronan Dex seek vengeance for Sateda." He looked at Teyla, then back at the path. "I have seen Teyla defend her honour when accused of betrayal against her people to the Wraith." Sheppard picked up his pace slightly. "And I have seen John Sheppard wake the grand city of the Ancestors from its slumber beneath the waters."

They had arrived at the base of a rocky outcropping. Ro pointed towards a narrow path amongst the rock.

"We must climb along to reach deep into the trees. Come." Ro moved up towards the rocks and instinctively began to move up and along the outcropping. Sheppard followed next before Teyla.

"How long have you had these... visions Ro?" Although Sheppard was fit, between the narrow rocky ledge and the path leading higher above the trees, he needed something to keep his mind of falling.

"As long as I can recall"

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"It is a gift from the Ancestors. I accept that there is both good and bad."

"How much do you know about us three?"

"I see only what the Ancestors allow me to see. Calm your feelings John. I do not know everything."

"What about what you've been writing in those books. How did you learn to read that?" There was a long silence as they continued down the high and narrow path, clinging to the rocks. After a few minutes Sheppard was about to say something to change the subject, when Ro spoke.

"I cannot explain. There are things that I have always known. Since I was very small, I have been able to follow the stars. I have understood the inside of tools. I see the art of numbers and can see the solution. And I can read the language of the Ancestors. I do not know for what purpose these gifts have been given me. But I am glad to have been chosen."

A few minutes later Ro pointed down to a small gap in the trees that appeared to have been caused by a landslide.

"The path is down there."

"I thought we were on the path already." Ronan grumbled.

"Ronan" Teyla warned. They both heard a small chuckle from in front of them.

"It is close now. Calm your feelings."

The group eventually climbed down into the small clearing, following Ro into forest, seemingly following no path. They continued for a few minutes before the boy stopped and began looking around for something. He quickly found a relatively low branch on a thin tree and jumped at it, grabbing hold and snapping it off. He then began to suck on the end of the wood he had removed from the tree. He then smiled satisfied and offered the branch to Sheppard.

"The sap of the JinJin. It is very sweet." Sheppard took the branch is sniffed it. The smell reminded him pineapple. He could see the sap oozing out of the end of the branch. He slicked a little on his finger and put it in his mouth. It tasted like someone had somehow melded honey and pineapple, almost sickeningly sweet.

"That's a new one. It's good." Ro laughed at Sheppard's face as he offered the branch to Teyla who simply shook her head as Ronan grabbed it and sucked it dry.

"The JinJin, huh?" He said to the boy.

"It is good, Ronan."

"Yes, it is."

Ro pointed into the forest again and they continued on into the dense growth. After a long silence, Sheppard checked his watch. They had been traveling for almost 90 minutes. He longed for a wisecrack about the 'quickness' of the journey, but found none from his companions. Sheppard chuckled at himself as Ro stopped abruptly.

"What is it?"

"We have arrived."

The three looked around and all they could see was forest. Sheppard looked at Ro.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" The boy nodded.

"This is why others have been angry. The portal only appears for me."

"Okay then, where exactly does this portal appear?" Ro pointed at a thin tree with yellow patterns on its bark.

"It appears for me there."

Sheppard walked over to the tree and didn't see anything. He wiped off his brow, only then registering that he was sweating and looked at the tree. It almost looked as if the patterns on the bark were ancient lettering. He reached towards it, the waved his hand over the bark. What appeared to be a door appeared in front of him, startling him backwards. Ro was practically jumping with excitement.

"The portal opened for you. The Ancestors are smiling on you."

Teyla helped Colonel Sheppard up. "Do you believe that it responded to you?" Sheppard nodded.

"It's probably a security measure. It would only appear when activated by someone with the gene."

Ro gestured inside and entered, followed by Teyla, Ronan and the colonel. After they had all entered, Sheppard turned to see a doorway with a silvery puddle, similar to a stargate event horizon. He flipped on the light on his P90 and began to point it around. The architecture was incredibly familiar. It looked almost identical to the outpost in Antarctica, except that it appeared to be built into a mountain, as opposed to underneath the ice. Suddenly the entire cavern lit up. John turned around to see Ro sit forward on an Ancient Control Chair. Getting up, he walked over to a console and touched the controls, bringing up the database.

"Ro, do you mind if we look around a bit?"

The boy looked up at them and shook his head. "The Ancestors allowed you here. I will not stop you. Forgive me, I must continue my work." He reached into his sack and pulled out a large stack of leather sheets, along with a needle press resembling a Morse code tapper, and a glass bottle containing black ink. Teyla observed the care with which the boy began to copy out what was on the display onto the leather.

"He obviously cares deeply about this place, or he would not go through the effort of doing this." Sheppard agreed with Teyla on that.

"Come on, let's see what is around here."

The three quickly searched the outposts' rooms. Sheppard's initial assessment that the outpost was similar to the Antarctic one was quickly confirmed. There were a few scattered unidentifiable objects and Ronan had found the access hatch to the drone storage bay. From what they could tell, there was easily tens of thousands of drones, if not hundreds of thousands.

"There has to be a ZPM here." Sheppard said as they returned to the main room with the chair. "There's no other way for this place to still be powered without it. And there would be nowhere near enough power for the control chair."

"Perhaps we should ask Ro if he knows of one?"

Sheppard nodded and they quickened their pace.

"Ro!" The boy glanced up and quickly yelled in pain. He had pricked himself with his tools. He quickly pulled a sliver of cloth from his bag and wrapped his finger up. Sheppard felt a little guilty about causing that. "You okay, buddy?"

"It is nothing. I will be fine."

"Ro, do you know what powers this place?" Teyla asked.

The boy thought for a moment. "The crystal!" He excitedly began manipulating the consoles controls. He rapidly searched through screens of the database before stopping and pointing at the displayed text. "It is a powerful source of energy known as Potentia."

"Is there one of these Potentia here?"

Ro nodded and quickly stepped away from the console, walking over to the control chair. He approached one of the corners of the base and waved his hand over it. A glowing ZPM rose out of its slot. Sheppard could hardly believe his eyes. Ro frowned slightly.

"It does not look right." Sheppard looked at the boy, then back at the ZPM. It looked exactly the same as all of the others he had seen.

"What's wrong with it?" Ronan asked. Ro jumped into the chair and leant back, activating it. The ZPM slid back down into its slot. Above the chair appeared a hologram of a ZPM, along with a readout in Ancient about it.

"The Potentia is approaching a state called vacua." Sheppard could see where this was going.

"It's nearly depleted isn't it?"

"I am sorry John." Ro said. "The Potentia has been here for many cycles."

"Don't worry about it, there's nothing you could do."

"I wish that..." Ro stopped, the image above his head quickly changed to an overhead map of the stargate. "The Ring of the Ancestors has activated." He sat up suddenly and ran to gather his things into his sack. "We must return. Now." Sheppard put him hand on the boys shoulder.

"Whoa buddy, what's wrong? What did you see?"

"They have returned. The village is in danger." Sheppard could see the determination in the boys' eyes.

"Who are they?"

"The Genii!"

Sheppard's face hardened as he looked up at both Teyla and Ronan. Teyla was ready and Ronan pulled out his gun with a grim look on his face. Ro had finished packing and ran towards the portal to exit.

"We must hurry!"

"No argument here."

The group raced through the forest, Ro leading the way, with Colonel Sheppard's team guns at the ready running behind him. Despite moving as quickly as they could, Ronan was getting frustrated with how much time it was taking.

"Can't we use a faster way?"

"Forgive me, Ronan. This is the most direct path. There are rocks to be climbed still."

Ronan groaned at the thought of being delayed by climbing across the side of a mountain again. Privately, Sheppard and Teyla agreed, but they had little choice. When they arrived at the outcropping, Ro sprang up and grabbed the rocks, planting his feet briefly before springing across the rocky surface. There was no way for Sheppard's team to keep up, but they tried to move quickly to follow the boy. Minutes later, when they reached the end, Ro was crouched, sucking on the end of a JinJin branch. Sheppard was trying to catch his breath as the boy stood.

"You must love the taste of those things."

"The JinJin restores my strength." He pulled the branch from his mouth, discarding it. "The taste is helpful." He motioned for them to follow him again. "Come, we must hurry."

Once more the group took off back towards the village. At least this time, the terrain was more favourable for speed. As they approached, they heard shouting and threats being made. Sheppard stopped short of one of the buildings and carefully looked out around the corner. He could see that the Genii soldiers were storming in and out of buildings, searching for something. There appeared to be about eight of them.

"Sheppard, we should do something."

"Yes we should, there isn't many of them. Teyla, you and Ronan circle around. I'll come in from this side. Wait for an opening."

Teyla nodded and the pair raced around behind the buildings. Sheppard turned back to look around the building again. The Genii had pulled a woman from inside of the inn, while holding back the innkeeper at gunpoint. Sheppard's eyes widened when he realised that the woman was Laneya, Ro's mother. He tapped his radio.

"Sheppard to Ronan."

 _"Go ahead Sheppard, we're directly behind them."_

"They've taken Ro's mother hostage."

 _"Can't we just take 'em out?"_

"Maybe, let me see if I can distract them."

Before Sheppard could act, one of the Genii soldiers knocked Laneya down.

"Give it up old woman, where is your child?" She said nothing as people pleaded in the background for them to let her go. "We know that you're hiding him, where is he?!"

"Let her go!" Ro burst from behind the building, Sheppard following closely behind him, holding him back. "Just let her go!" Sheppard stood in front of Ro, his P90 pointed at the Genii. The soldier looked up and smirked at him.

"Ah, Colonel Sheppard. Nice to see you, although it appears that you have something I want."

"I don't think so."

"Surely you must realise that you are outnumbered. Your Doctor McKay would be able to tell you that... Oh wait, he can't. He's dead!" The soldier laughed at this fact. "Hand over the kid Sheppard, or we'll kill the old woman."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Oh, and why not?"

Sheppard quickly tapped his ear. "Now Ronan!"

Sheppard opened fire with his P90, while red blasts shot out from Ronan's blaster. Cover fire came from Teyla on the far side of the village. The Genii soldiers fell quickly, but not before the commander had fired his pistol at Laneya. She groaned as she fell to the earth. The firefight was over in less than a minute, but the damage was done. Ro ran over to his mother, crying bitter tears.

"Mother. Stay with me. Please stay." He held his mother's hand to his forehead, then to his chest, sobbing. "I am not strong enough. I am not strong."

Sheppard rushed over pulling the field dressing out of his vest. The bullet had hit her in the left side of her chest. He did his best to apply the dressing. Ronan was busy checking that the Genii would no longer pose a threat. Teyla rushed over to assist the Colonel.

"Colonel, we should take her back with us, Doctor Beckett can help her." Ro looked up at Teyla, his face already red with tears. "Ro, our friend is a very skilled doctor, he may be able to help your mother."

"Go with them Ro." Sheppard looked up to see that a crowd had gathered. The innkeeper put his hand on Ro's shoulder. "Laneya has never taken to off-worlders, but she trusted you to them. If they can help, let them."

Ro nodded and looked at Colonel Sheppard. Sheppard could almost feel his heart breaking at the boy's tear stained face.

"I cannot lose Mother. Please help."


	4. Healing and Ancient Gifts

"Offworld activation!" Doctor Weir walked into the control room from her office. "We're receiving Colonel Sheppard's IDC Ma'am"

"They're not due to check in for another hour. Lower the shield."

 _"Sheppard to Atlantis request a medical team to the gate room immediately. We have a woman with a bullet wound that needs Beckett."_

"Understood Colonel." Weir turned to Chuck who simply nodded and called Beckett. As she looked back towards the gate, she saw Ronan walk through the event horizon carrying a middle aged woman. She rushed down in time to see Teyla and Sheppard walk through, along with a teenaged boy, who was clearly distraught. "Colonel Sheppard, what happened?"

"The Genii happened."

"I thought there was no Genii activity on this planet."

"There isn't. We were just unlucky that they came looking for something. The planet is full of great people, who are happy to trade."

"Do we know what they were looking for Colonel?"

"Me." Weir looked at the boy, who was a little shorter than Sheppard was. He looked down at his feet. "They wanted me." Carson arrived and began to quickly assess the treatment of the injured woman. "Please help Mother."

"I'll do my best son, she's in a bad state though." He looked at the boy up and down. "You'd better come with me as well. I better take a look at ye."

"Help Mother please."

"Aye, I will first, but then you son." Ro looked between Sheppard and Teyla.

"Go with Doctor Beckett, Ro." The boy nodded and followed Beckett and his staff as they raced to the infirmary. Ronan glanced at Sheppard and then turned to chase after them. Sheppard looked back to Weir.

"Colonel, was that true?

"Unfortunately, yes. He was helping us. And for that, they shot his mother."

"What could the Genii possibly ..."

"He can read Ancient, Elizabeth." Teyla stated simply.

Elizabeth stared at Sheppard and Teyla. "What?"

"The boy can read and understand Ancient. The intel we had on that planet was correct. There was an outpost there and he led us to it. He has been copying the database from the outpost into books one letter at a time. You should have seen it, the place lit up around him." Sheppard's excitement was held back underneath his serious face, but it was plain to see that the Colonel was looking forward to seeing what the boy could do.

"He has the gene?" Elizabeth asked. She thought of how Atlantis would literally light up around Colonel Sheppard.

"He has to. I can't think of another way for it to make any sense." Sheppard sighed as they reached the turn to the lockers. Teyla bowed her head slightly and left Sheppard with Elizabeth. "I hope that Carson can help his mother."

"I'll see you down at the infirmary then?" Sheppard nodded as they headed off in separate directions.

Elizabeth hurried towards a transporter. With everything that they had encountered in the Pegasus galaxy thus far, she knew that she should have learnt not to be surprised by now. And yet here she was, faced with another seemingly impossible scenario. They get intel about a possible Ancient outpost, visit the planet to meet a boy who not only shows them where it is, but also has the gene. And he can read and understand Ancient. She sighed as she pressed the dot closest to the infirmary. As she exited, she sped up to a jog. She had to speak to this boy. Entering the infirmary, she found one of Doctor Beckett's assistants was drawing blood from the teenagers' arm, with Ronan sitting nearby. He seemed remarkably calm compared to barely ten minutes ago in the gateroom. She approached the bed and spoke to Marie.

"How is he doing?"

"He's strong" Ronan said. Marie nodded at his interjection.

"He definitely is, given what's just happened. When his mother was brought in, he was distraught, until Doctor Beckett took off his coat to prepare for surgery."

"What's significant about that?"

"I saw the blue and white." Ro piped up. Elizabeth looked to Marie for clarification.

"The flag on his shoulder." Marie stated.

"I knew that Carson of Scotland would heal Mother." He looked at Elizabeth, noticing the expression on her face. "The Ancestors give me visions. Carson has been blessed with the gift of healing."

Elizabeth sat down next to the bed. "Is that how you knew his name?" The boy nodded. "Have you dreamt about this city?" Another nod.

"I have seen the grand City of the Ancestors many times. You are indeed blessed to be here." Ro looked around for his bag. Seeing it near Elizabeth, he motioned for it. "Please, my strength fails me. Inside please."

Elizabeth followed his motion and picked up the woven bag, opened it and held it out for Ro, who reached inside and pulled out what a clay jar. Pulling the stop out, he stuck in his finger, then put it in his mouth. He smiled as he sucked on the sweet taste. He opened his eyes and offered the jar to Elizabeth.

"The sap of the JinJin. It is most sweet." Elizabeth smiled, but motioned that she wasn't brave enough to taste it. Ronan however, gladly took the offered treat. Elizabeth couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. He may be large and intimidating, but Ronan was a child at heart. She looked down and saw the bundle of leather pages in Ro's bag. She pulled them out gently.

"May I?" Ro nodded as she looked over them, her fingers tracing the Ancient text tattooed onto the leather pages. Colonel Sheppard hadn't been exaggerating when he said that he was copying the database. As familiar as Elizabeth was with the language, even she could see that it would take her a long time to understand all of it. "You can read this?"

Ro nodded. He looked over at Ronan, who handed back the jar of JinJin sap. Ro smiled and returned the jar to his bag. "It is a gift since I was very small." Elizabeth nodded as she heard Colonel Sheppard enter. Ro's face lit up as he saw him.

"John!" Sheppard walked over and ruffled his hair.

"How have ya been Ro?"

"I am better. Carson will heal Mother and Elizabeth is a new friend."

"That's good to hear. Ro, I understand that you might not want to, but can you tell us how you know the Genii?"

The boy swallowed and carefully explained the experiences of his world with the Genii. At first they had appeared as simple farmers coming to trade. But that all changed following the last culling. Rumours had circulated about the Ancient outpost, drawing all manner of cultures and people to their village to trade. But soon people began to connect Ro with the outpost. Some had heard of his visits there, others simply gave opinion on rumour. Some tried to take advantage of the village, but they banded together to protect what they had built up. Then the Genii came a few weeks earlier. They had also heard the rumours, but instead of visiting as farmers, a pair of soldiers appeared. They had demanded any Ancient artefact be turned over to them. To prevent any loss of life, they had acquiesced. After the soldiers left, the village agreed to protect Ro, so that no one could steal his knowledge or gifts.

Ronan found himself inwardly promising to hurt the Genii, now not just for McKay, but for Ro and his village as well. Sheppard was sharing a similar thought to Ronan, but his was still tempered with the guilt that they still had not found Rodney. Elizabeth resolved to protect the boy and his mother within Atlantis and to provide whatever aid they could to his village. Teyla had arrived during Ro's recount and empathised with the boy. They all sat silent for a moment until Carson walked over. Ro brightened at the sight of the physician.

"Have you healed mother, Carson?"

"She'll need to rest awhile, but it looks like she's going to be fine. She's got a punctured lung from where the bullet hit her, but she'll live. She's a strong woman."

Carson gently placed a hand on Ro's shoulder. Ro reached up and took the doctor's hand in his, then placed it against his forehead. Carson was surprised at the action, but didn't attempt to stop it.

"My thanks to you Carson. May the Ancestors smile on you."

He let go of Carson's hand, with a big smile on his face.

"I'm happy to help Lad. Now, you'd best have a wee rest here. You're mum will be awake soon and I'm sure you'll be wanting to see her."

"We'll come see you later Ro."

Sheppard and the rest left the boy with Carson, who found himself watching the boy from his desk. He was leaning back on a bed, taking in all of the details of the room. It was amazing that after everything he had been through, he still found something to be happy about. Looking down at the reports on his desk, Carson sighed. He had to wait until the boy's mother was awake, so he may as well catch up on some of his paperwork. There'd be time to relax later.


	5. Trading and starwatching

**Author's note:** Thanks to everyone who's read  & reviewed the story so far. I have actually finished writing it and it will be ten chapters long. Thanks to anne57 for beta-ing

* * *

The remainder of the day had been whirlwind of activity.

After sitting with his mother when she had woken up, and a meal in the mess which Carson had insisted on, Ro had returned to M7S-282 with Teyla and Ronan, along with Elizabeth. She hadn't had many opportunities to go off world but she had a feeling that this one would be worth it. Carson had rounded up a list of all the medical supplies he thought they could spare and it was considerable. By the time they arrived at the village, Ro was being inundated by people inquiring after him and his mother.

"These new friends wish to trade." Ro cried out happily. "They bring medicine and knowledge!"

The merchants could barely keep their excitement hidden. Good medicine was hard to come by. Elizabeth put her arm on Ro's shoulder to get his attention.

"Any idea of where we should begin?" The boy pointed to the stall with grains on display.

"Zedan sells a grain which is... cool." The earth word sounded slightly odd coming from his mouth, but Teyla and Ronan chuckled to themselves. The group headed over. "Zedan, this is Elizabeth. She wishes to trade for grain."

"Which type of grain do you like? I have many." The man smiled brightly, a smile Elizabeth returned.

"Which one makes the nicest bread?"

"That would be the Piya seed." He pointed to slightly green seed, which resembled wheat. "It needs to be crushed before making bread, but the effort is small. You can always eat the Piya itself of course."

"Then we'll definitely be wanting some."

"Zedan, show her the Cotpup!" Ro was clearly excited at this option.

"Of course!" The merchant motioned towards a basket with appeared to be corn kernels, in bright colours of blue, green and red. "This is the Cotpup. It grows tall in the field, and is fine when cooked by the fire." The merchant lowered his voice, as if telling a secret. "But, if the seed is allowed to dry hard, then heated slowly in a pot, it bursts into a soft puff."

Teyla suddenly became very interested at this point. After all, it sounded very similar to an earth dish she had grown fond of. She placed her hand on Ro's arm.

"Ro, is the Cotpup like popcorn?" The boy thought for a moment, then smiled excitedly, nodding his head. "Elizabeth, I believe that many would be pleased with us if we traded for this."

Elizabeth agreed. She knew firsthand how quickly the popcorn supplies from earth disappeared from the mess. Movie nights quickly needed to have the supplies rationed to maintain order. She nodded at the merchant, who bowed his head.

"We shall set terms with the other merchants you trade with."

The next stop was a produce cart, which was almost overflowing with roots, vegetables and fruits. Ro introduced her to the merchant.

"Elizabeth, this is Leon. He is my teacher in the fields." The boy took the man's hand by his own and held it to his chest. "Forgive my absence from the fields. My new friends have needed my help." The man simply chuckled and ruffled the boys' hair.

"Ro, you worry yourself." He looked up at Elizabeth with a bright face, reminding her of her grandfather. Their demeanour was similar. "The boy works harder than any other I have known. I can spare him to help others easily. Now, what interests you?"

Elizabeth talked with Leon about what he was offering, this time it was Teyla who was offering input as she was more familiar with the food on display. Ronan shook his head at the discussion over a leafy vegetable resembling lettuce, but kept his comments to himself. It was never a good idea to interrupt a trade, no matter what world you were on. Ro also watched proceedings until the end when he held out a purple root towards Elizabeth.

"This would be of great benefit. The Moon root is versatile and is like the... the... potatoes that you have."

"The cooks would definitely appreciate that." To herself, she wondered if they made good fries.

After the items for trade were decided, Elizabeth sat down with the two merchants to agree on terms. It did not take long for all parties to agree and Elizabeth promised to send for the medical supplies. Heading back to the stargate, Ro ducked into his house and returned with a large leather sack.

"What is that Ro?"

"It is the knowledge of the Ancestors. I thought you would enjoy reading from them."

"Indeed I would." Privately, Elizabeth knew that this was an understatement, as she was desperate to read anything she could.

Upon returning to Atlantis, she radioed the infirmary to bring the supplies to the gateroom for trade. She sent Teyla and Ronan, along with two teams of marines back through to the planet with the supplies. She would have sent Ro as well, but Zelenka was finding other ways to capitalise on the boys' time. I didn't take long for the stargate to activate again.

"Off world activation." Chuck called from the control room. "It's Lieutenant Donaldson's IDC"

"Lower the shield. Tell the KP staff that they have goods to transport from the gateroom."

Chuck nodded as Elizabeth raced down the stairs to greet the team returning. As the gateroom began to fill with larger amounts of grain and vegetables than expected, she was worried that something might have been misinterpreted. Teyla saw the look of confusion on her face and walked over, carrying a large sack.

"The merchants were very pleased with the quality of our supplies that they decided we had been treated unfairly. They insisted on correcting this error with a suitable amount of supplies. Ronan was most pleased with the adjustment"

They looked towards the gate as he appeared out of the event horizon, carrying what looked to be a side of a beef, all cleaned up and ready for cooking, but this was almost eight feet long. He looked up at Elizabeth, with the biggest grin on his face.

"It's a side of Hayop. It's rare to get the meat unless you hunt them yourself." As he walked off, Elizabeth was now smiling. Teyla returned the grin.

"It was a gesture of good faith on their part. I believe that they are most excited to trade with us again. And Ronan is correct, the meat is rare and it is good to eat."

"What does it taste like?"

"It is most similar to beef in flavour."

Elizabeth smiled and went to check on Ro. Radek and some of the other scientists had been desperate to spend some time with the boy, as they had noticed energy increases following him wherever he went on Atlantis, similar to the way the city reacted to Colonel Sheppard, but on a larger scale. They had found systems activate and organise themselves more efficiently if the boy had been in proximity to them. Elizabeth agreed that they could have Ro spend some time with them, but only if Sheppard came with them. The next couple of hours had Radek leading Ro and Sheppard around to various consoles and labs, his scientific mind working in overdrive at what possibilities were being unlocked. It came as no surprise when Carson called Elizabeth, who relayed to Colonel Sheppard that not only did the boy possess the ATA gene, but it was one of the strongest expressions they had ever seen.

It was this last fact that was one of Colonel Sheppard's motivators for visiting the infirmary. He had hoped that the boy might be able to convince the city to forgive him. He just wanted to have a warm shower again. As he entered the infirmary, he found Ro standing back slightly from his mother, who was having a rather spirited discussion from her bed with Carson.

"He has returned to our home today Doctor Beckett."

"I understand that love, but..."

"And you have found nothing that suggest he is not in full health."

"Again, that is true, but..."

"Then I see no reason that my son cannot enjoy walking around this grand city of the Ancestors."

Sheppard smiled at this. He couldn't help agreeing with her.

"She's got ya there Carson."

"Aye, that she has." The Scott admitted. "I suppose he can sleep somewhere else tonight. But you need your rest. You've had quite an ordeal and you need time ta heal."

"I could take Ro around the city. Heck, he can even crash on my couch." The boy looked up at the Colonel with a puzzled look.

"You wish for me to damage this... couch?"

"I believe the Colonel means that you can stay with him tonight my child."

The boy walked over to his mother and held her hand to his forehead. "Rest well Mother."

"Come on Ro, I'll show you around."

Sheppard gestured towards the open door and Ro followed him out. They first walked towards one of the many balconies that looked out over the city. Ro looked out with awe, a massive smile on his face.

"Are all the works of the Ancestors this grand?"

"They're all great, but Atlantis is something special."

The boy nodded in understanding. They continued through the halls, with the lights glowing just a little bit brighter as they walked.

"Zelenka was right, the city likes you Ro." Ro didn't hear Colonel Sheppard make that comment as he had run ahead to the central staircase. For the boy, it seemed that it went up and down forever. Sheppard caught him up. "How about we grab a bite at the mess?"

The boy nodded in agreement. He was relatively quiet on the walk as he was taking in what he was seeing. Arriving in the mess, they grabbed their trays and looked at the options. The chefs had wasted no time in utilising the fresh produce that had been traded earlier in the day. Sheppard read the labels in front of the larger dishes.

"Pegasus purple moon fries?" He asked the corporal on KP duty.

"Yes sir. Made from moon root. Tastes just like fries from home. Goes really well with the hamburgers."

Sheppard was satisfied with that answer and the pair both took hamburgers, with a plate of fries to share. Ro seemed to savour the taste of the burger, while Sheppard had to admit that the Pegasus fries were just as good as ones from earth. Maybe even slightly better. Following the meal, they headed towards the Colonel's quarters. When they entered, Sheppard took one step in and stopped. The air was warm.

"Is something wrong John?" The boy had turned to see why he had stopped.

"No, nothing's wrong Ro."

Sheppard wasted no time showing Ro where the bathroom was, along with the aforementioned couch. The boy retired to the shower.

"How's the water Ro?" Sheppard called.

"It is most pleasant. The water is warm and soothing."

Sheppard smiled, hoping that the water would be warm for him. After the boy was done and changed, he turned on the water in the shower and reached out a hand into the spray. "Dammit!" he exclaimed pulling his hand back out of the icy water. Evidently the city still had not forgiven him. His shower was quick, as most of them had been recently, before he changed and headed out to see Ro laying on the couch, staring at the roof. The boy noticed Sheppard's approach and moved to sit up, the Colonel motioning for him to stay where he was.

"If you're tired Ro, it's fine."

"My thanks for allowing me to... crash on your couch John."

"No problem Ro. Goodnight."

Ro fell asleep quickly on the couch, leaving Sheppard alone with his thoughts, which like most evenings drifted to the loss of his friend. Lying on his bed, he drifted slowly into a dream where he saw Rodney being carried away time and time again, never quite being able to save him. His unrestful sleep was interrupted by someone pleading softly. Sheppard couldn't quite make out what was being said until he heard a loud cry.

"NO!"

This jostled the Colonel awake, only to hear someone rush out of the door of his quarters crying. Even in his sleep deprived state, he quickly worked out that something had bothered Ro in his sleep. He got up and fumbled for his jacket, before chasing after him. After trying to track him down for a few minutes, and still facing temperamental doors slowing him down, Sheppard leaned against a wall in the empty hall to catch his breath.

"Come on Atlantis, can you give me a break this time?" The door to the transporter at the end of the hall opened, with a dot on the southeast pier flashing. "All right, I'll trust you on this."

He entered the transporter and hit the flashing dot. For the first time in months, the door closed, then opened to reveal the hall leading to the pier. Colonel Sheppard thanked the city in his thoughts and walked towards the open door at the end of the hall. Looking out on the pier, he saw a lone figure seated by the edge, looking up at the sky. It was a very clear night, with the stars adding their own reflections to the lights of Atlantis in the ocean.

"The stars are singing this night John." The boy hadn't turned to him, but Sheppard took this as an invitation to sit down, which he did, swinging his legs over the edge of the pier. "I saw your friends suffer at the hands of Kolya. He wanted the secrets of the city for himself."

"I'm sorry you had to see that Ro. That wasn't pleasant for us."

"But you survived. Rodney powered the shield and you all were safe." Sheppard knew what Ro was saying was true, but it only served to remind him of his failure with Rodney. "She told me that you seek solace here."

"Who told you?"

"Atlantis."

"You mean the city spoke to you?"

The boy turned his head away from the sky and faced Sheppard.

"Have you not heard her?"

"I have." Sheppard admitted, before sighing. "The city isn't exactly happy with me."

"She has lost he who cared for her."

"I know. It's my fault."

Ro placed his hand on Sheppard's shoulder. "It is not your fault John. You must see that"

"I can't forget what happened."

Sheppard's turned away slightly, his shame and guilt resting heavily on him, like most nights. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Ro gently grabbed Sheppard's head and turned him so they were facing each other.

"The city mourns her loss, but you must forgive yourself. Your pain in her care is of your own creation. The city responds to your thoughts, but your thoughts on yourself are harsh. You must..." Ro paused, searching for the right words, smiling suddenly. "Give yourself a break."

Sheppard chuckled slightly at the earth phrase the boy had picked up.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Your manner of speaking is very different, but I am a fast learner."

"I'll bet you are."

"Calm your feelings John. You will see Rodney McKay of Canada again."

Sheppard had to admit that despite his guilt, the boy was right. It would take time for him to truly forgive himself, but he knew now that he had to. He sighed and looked back at the starlit sky.

"Have you found the signs of the Ancestors in the sky John?"

"I'm not sure."

"Follow those stars in this manner." The boy traced a pattern between certain stars. "That is the pattern of Tahnan."

Looking at the bright stars Ro pointed to, John realised that he had seen the pattern before.

"Like the glyph on the stargate."

"The Ancestors gave the stars to guide us. Be it on our own worlds or through the Rings they left." He traced another pattern. "This is Subido. The teachings hold that Subido is near to them."

John sat beside the boy as he pointed out the constellations on the stargate that were viewable from Lantea. For the moment, his life seemed just that little bit quieter. Ruining the moment with perfect timing came a panicked voice from the control room over his radio.

 _"Doctor Weir, Colonel Sheppard, Doctor Zelenka to the control room immediately."_

"Control room this is Sheppard" He replied in a frustrated voice. "What's going on?"

 _"We have just detected three hive ships headed directly for us."_


	6. Defending the City

Elizabeth raced to the central tower following the call she received on the radio. Exiting the transporter nearest the gateroom, she ran up the stairs to see that Zelenka was already there, checking through systems and discussing their status with the other personnel.

"Report."

"It appears that they are in a hyperspace halt right now. The Czech pushed his glasses up on his face. Colonel Sheppard arrived out of breath, with Ro chasing after him.

"How far away is the Deadalus?" Asked the Colonel.

"She is on her return journey to the Milky Way. Five days travel at least."

"And the hives will get here...?"

"Twenty four, maybe twenty six hours tops. But I am afraid that we have bigger problem."

"What could be bigger than three hive ships?"

"We cannot cloak."

"Why not?"

"Crystals overloaded during testing last month."

"Can you fix it?"

"Not quickly. Rodney knew system like back of hand. I do not believe it could be done in time we have. Another problem is ZPM. It is already one third depleted after last Wraith attack. Also we have difficulty with control chair and drones. Power to chair is unstable and we do not have many drones. Maybe three, four hundred."

Elizabeth and Sheppard exchanged glances. The siege on Atlantis wasn't exactly easy, even with the support of Colonel Caldwell and his crew.

"Radek, bottom line this for me." Elizabeth needed to hear the bad news all at once.

"If Wraith attack Atlantis, we have couple hours before shield fail and assuming chair work, we do not have enough drones to destroy all ships."

Elizabeth leant her elbows on the console in front of her, with her head in her hands.

"If we tied the chair directly into one of the naqueda generators?"

"Might work, but we have run out of drones."

"What about back on 282?" Sheppard snapped his fingers like McKay used to. "That outpost that Ro showed us looked like it had a full compliment."

"How many are we talking about Colonel?"

"Tens of thousands Elizabeth."

"In your report you said that it took you nearly an hour to get there through rough terrain."

"Elizabeth? John?" Ro had been listening to the conversation. His voice was soft, but clear as the adults looked at him. He paused as he used certain words that he had heard used by the people of Atlantis "I can control the power of the Ancestors. I could cause the... drones to move towards the... gate. I could bid them to sleep. Then your people could transport them back here?"

Sheppard nodded as he understood what the boy meant. "You'll fly them to the gate and then deactivate them?" The boy nodded. The Colonel turned to Zelenka.

"Is there any way that we could get drones from the gateroom to the storage bay?"

"Possibly." The scientist thought for a moment, then exclaimed in Czech. "Yes. If we open service hatch in tower, we could rig up a... a... how do you say it... slide to get them down into bay. Then very easy to load into racks." They looked to Elizabeth who now had an unlikely, but possible plan of action.

"Okay. Sheppard, take your team and a squad of marines with Ro and go. Radek, set up the slide, then use everyone you can to get the chair working. If you can, see if you can find another way to get the cloak working. I'll go tell Carson to prepare for the worst." An amusing thought occurred to her. "Maybe he has this in the scenarios he's been working on for months. Go people."

Everyone had gotten to work quickly. Time really was of the essence with what they were facing. Sheppard had taken Ro back to his planet, where he left him with Ronan to take back to the outpost. Once Ro had explained that the Wraith were endangering Atlantis, a large number of villagers had joined Sheppard by the gate to help transport the drones back to Atlantis. The sight of a few thousand drones streaking across the sky was breathtaking, as they danced their way from beyond the mountain range towards the gate. As they closed in, they formed a ring, almost orbiting above the stargate. A couple of dozen at a time, the drones slowly moved out of the sky, their glow disappearing, before landing neatly on the ground safely. With the help from the village, it took less than an hour to transport all of the drones back to Atlantis. Sheppard sent the marines back through while waiting with Teyla by the stargate. Several villagers bid them good fortune as they returned to their homes. Eventually, they spotted Ro being half carried by Ronan back to the stargate. Ronan told Colonel Sheppard how impressive it was to watch Ro control the drones, but it had tired the boy out.

Back on Atlantis, all of the military personnel had been drafted into moving drones into the storage racks, which was moving quickly. The scientists were all working hard to get the chair to work with a few attempting to fix the cloak. Anyone who was not otherwise occupied had been drafted into service, to help in preparations to defend the city. Even Doctor Beckett was being utilised by Zelenka to test the chair, despite his protests. Their successes were limited unfortunately. While they had successfully restocked the drone arsenal, they were having less success with the control chair, even after Sheppard returned. Hours later, the senior staff had all gathered in the briefing room.

"So, where do we stand?" Elizabeth asked the assembled group. Sheppard spoke up first.

"The drones and shield are ready to go, but the chair and cloak are another matter."

"The generator appears to be interfaced with the chair correctly, but somehow it is still inactive." Radek said. "We hope to have it ready to go before, you, crunch time. The cloak is still a no go. We have patched in puddle jumper, but again, interface is still fried."

"So we're still going to be relying on the shield. How long will it hold?"

"Best guess is two, maybe three hours if attack is constant."

"And if it fails?"

"We'll be ready to give them with everything we've got."

While Ronan was accurate in terms of the preparations that had been made, the mood was sombre in the room at best. Without the chair working, or more power available to the shield, they wouldn't last very long against the odds they were facing. The silence was broken by a voice from the control room.

 _"Doctor Weir, the Wraith ships have just dropped out of hyperspace."_

"Dammit, we're out of time. Defence positions people"

Everyone raced out of the room, with Sheppard following Elizabeth to the control room.

"I thought we still had a couple of hours before they got here."

"I'm sorry sir, but our estimates were off. They'll be in range to release darts and open fire any moment now."

A shudder rocked the control room as the shield began to be bombarded by weapons fire from orbit.

"Colonel, get to the chair. Do everything you can."

Sheppard nodded and raced out of the room. Military men and women were rushing through the corridors to get to defensive positions. Every minute or so, a shudder rocked the city, as Darts began suicide runs against the shield, hoping to make it weaken quickly. Sheppard reached the room and sat down in the chair, which flickered to life briefly before going dark again.

"Dammit!"

"John?"

Sheppard looked up to see Ro, holding onto the door frame, to prevent himself from falling over.

"You should be in the infirmary with your mother Ro!"

"I have to help John!"

"Help how?"

Ro rushed to the chair, grabbing it for balance. "I will use my gift. I will help save you!"

"I can't let you do that."

"We have little options John. I can make this work!" Sheppard looked into the boy's eyes. He could see the determination on the boy's face, but it was what he said next that broke him.

"Trust me John."

In that brief moment, Sheppard was back at Doronda, but the roles were reversed this time and he was the one that wouldn't back down. He knew he couldn't do that, it would be betraying Rodney and everything he had worked for. Slowly standing up, he grabbed Ro's arm and helped him onto the chair. Instantly, the chair light up underneath him and a hologram of the city and its attackers in orbit appeared. The boys' eyes closed as he concentrated.

From various parts of the city, thousands of bright lights emerged from the outer edges of the piers and they flew into orbit. The drones ripped through the hive ships gracefully, as if they were sea creatures jumping above and below the surface. Within minutes, the Wraith vessels had been critically damaged enough for them to explode.

The control room was in awe of what they were seeing, both out of the windows and on sensors. Just as quickly as the attack on Atlantis had started, it ended. But they were alive. The happiness at surviving was not matched back in the chair room. Sheppard saw the hologram fade from above his head. He looked down at Ro, who was now slumping slightly in the chair. Picking up the boy's hand, he shook it gently, trying the get the boy to respond.

 _"Colonel Sheppard, you did it. It's over."_

"You shouldn't thank me Elizabeth, it wasn't me. I need a medical team down here immediately. Sheppard Out" He carefully and gently shook the boys shoulder. "Ro? Are you okay buddy?"

Ro opened one eye part way and breathlessly responded. "Did it work?"

"It did buddy. It did."

Ro nodded, a slight smile on his face as his eye closed again.

"I didn't fail... I did it..."

Sheppard held onto the boy as he slipped into unconsciousness. The boy who had seen Atlantis and her people in his dreams had given his all to save the city and won.


	7. Answers and more questions

It was three days after the Wraith attack with no sign of any other ships approaching. The Deadalus was a day away and Elizabeth was making what was becoming a daily trip to the infirmary to check on their guests. She met Carson by the door as she entered.

"How are they doing?"

"Well, Laneya is healing rather well. I think she's well enough to move around the city. The fresh air and exercise will do her a world of good."

What remained unsaid was more telling though.

"And Ro?"

Doctor Beckett sighed and looked over at the young boy's bed. He hadn't moved since he had been brought in, the soft beeping of the machines connected to him the only indication that he was still in the land of the living.

"He's still unconscious and his blood pressure is too low for my liking. I've ordered some more blood work to be sure, but he is definitely one stubborn and strong lad. He has been improving without much help from me I have tae admit. I'd expect him to wake up on his own, but I have no way of knowing if that is a matter of hours, or days." Carson turned back to look at Elizabeth again. "I have to tell you Elizabeth, you should hear the way his mother talks about him and his gifts. He's an amazing lad, who has accomplished more than most other boys his age. I don't know if the Ancients have actually had a hand in his abilities, but I can tell you this: he has the strongest expression of the ATA gene I have ever seen. My best guess is that this example of the gene is the closest to the Ancients we'll ever get. It wouldn't surprise me if it's exactly the same. I know there are rules against interference, but I think they may have had a hand in this."

"And if there isn't any intervention from the ascended?"

"Then he's a gifted boy and we're bloody lucky that we found him when we did."

Elizabeth nodded and looked towards Laneya, who was seated in a wheelchair at her son's bedside. Carson noticed where her gaze went and smiled.

"Why don't you take her for a spin? I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Surprisingly, it didn't take much convincing for Laneya. But after hearing her reasoning Elizabeth sort of understood. When she had first woken up from surgery, Ro had told her that Caron was a healer and that she would be safe. This was reason enough for her to be trusting. As they wheeled through the corridors of Atlantis, Laneya marvelled in what she saw. Eventually, they arrived at Elizabeth's favourite balcony.

"Thank the Ancestors! It is truly a beautiful sight."

"That it is. I'm grateful every day that I'm able to study and learn about those who built it. And I'm very grateful to your son, who I'm told single-handedly saved the city."

"He is such a sweet child. But I have known for many moons that he would return to the city of the Ancestors."

Elizabeth smiled, but then realised the way that Laneya had phrased what she said.

"I'm sorry, has Ro visited the city before?"

"Forgive me Elizabeth, my words are not always precise. From the moment that the Ancestors gave him to my care, I have known that he was part of their designs. I have always hoped that he would be designed for this city as well."

"They gave him to you? You mean that he's not your natural child?" Elizabeth was a little confused now, but the old lady wasn't worried. She smiled and continued.

"It was many cycles ago. I was much younger then. I was returning home when I saw a flash in the trees. I did not know if I should call someone, but I heard a small cry from where I saw the light. It sounded like a child. It did not take me long to discover the boy, barely bigger than my knee, lying in the cold earth. I asked his name and knew that the Ancestors had entrusted me with the care of this precious child. I did not know how blessed the boy was, but his gifts became apparent with short time."

"I'm glad you adopted him. How long ago was this, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It is of no concern to me. It has been nearly twelve cycles since I met Ro. And the Ancestors have smiled on me from that day until this. I have always known that someday, he would be grown and do great things. The Ancestors have blessed him in many ways."

"From what I have seen, I have to agree. How long has he been writing the words of the Anci... Ancestors?"

"Ever since he discovered the portal, about eight cycles ago. He asked one of the masters to train him in the art of imprinting so he could record what was hidden."

"And he has been doing that for eight years?" Laneya nodded and smiled. "I have only read a fraction of what he's been able to transcribe, but there is so much knowledge there. It would take me years to read through it all."

"Ro can help you. He has been walking with the Ancestors all of his life."

Before Elizabeth could respond, a call came in on the radio.

 _"Doctor Weir, there's been an unscheduled gate activation, we're getting a radio signal from someone who says he has information about Doctor McKay."_

"I'll be right there. I'm sorry Laneya, I'll have to take you back to the infirmary."

The return trip was rather brisk, but the older woman was patient and kind to Elizabeth's situation. Elizabeth was grateful for the transporters around the city as it put the control room less than a minute away. As she entered, she saw the stargate active, with the shield up. Running up the stairs, she saw Colonel Sheppard waiting there.

"What have they said specifically?"

"Well, he's claiming that he's escaped from the Genii with the device that McKay last worked on."

"Do we have any reason to trust him Colonel?"

"I don't trust the Genii, but if this could lead us to Rodney, we owe it to him the find out."

Elizabeth thought for a moment, then called out to the marines near the gate.

"Defence teams. If more than one person steps through that gate, shoot them."

 _"Why do you delay? I do not have much time before they catch up with me!"_

"Let him through."

No sooner than the shield was lowered, they heard a gunshot over the radio. Elizabeth and Sheppard both looked up to see a man stumble through the event horizon, clutching a device to his chest. The man promptly collapsed on the ground.

"Shut it down. Medical team to the gateroom."

Both of them rushed down to see that the man had been shot in the chest as the stargate shut off. He looked up at Sheppard and wheezed as he spoke.

"Colonel Sheppard... I am sorry about Doctor McKay..." He started coughing, a bit of blood in his mouth. "Kolya tortured him for months... forced him to activate the device. But ..." More coughing.

"Don't try and speak."

"No, I must tell you. Doctor McKay... disappeared in a flash of light after fixing the device a week ago. He... he..." The man was struggling for breath. "I do not know how the device works. I thought you might be able to... to..." sighing his last breath, the unknown man went slack just as help arrived.

The medical team quickly began CPR, but after a few minutes gave up.

"I'm sorry Doctor Weir. Whoever shot him didn't want him to survive."

"Let's hope that some good can come of this." Elizabeth picked up the pyramid shaped device that the man had brought with him. She handed it to Sheppard. "See if Doctor Zelenka can work out what this device is and how it works. I hope this helps us find Rodney... or at least get some closure."

Sheppard nodded and raced to find the Czech scientist. Maybe some good would come of this.

A few more days passed, with Doctor Zelenka practically tearing at his hair trying to figure out the function of a device that someone literally died for. It didn't make it easier that this was the most tangible clue they had gotten thus far to McKay's disappearance. Colonel Sheppard arrived with a goofy smile on his face.

"How's it going Doc?"

"Slowly." He pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I am fairly certain that it was built by the Ancients, but I have difficult time finding in database." The Czech sighed. "McKay could find things in database faster."

"What if I gave you the next best thing?" The Czech looked up quickly at that. "Ro woke up yesterday afternoon. Doctor Beckett said that he could leave the infirmary today for a few minutes. Maybe he could help find this mystery device in the database?"

Zelenka hurriedly began to put his laptop onto a cart, along with the pyramid shaped device. "I meet you in lab with Ancient console."

Sheppard rushed out with the energy of a five year old, while Radek set everything up as carefully as he could. It did not take long due the location of the transporters, but the Colonel returned with Ro in tow as Zelenka was testing the interface between his laptop and the Ancient systems. He had to admit that he was excited at what could be found with the boys help.

"Hello Radek." The boy had a grin on his face as he looked towards the device on the trolley. "Is that the device you were talking about John?"

"That's the one." The Czech walked over.

"We had hoped that you could help locate in database."

Ro crouched down next to the device, staring at it intently. "This device... I feel like I have seen it."

"In a dream?" Sheppard asked. The boy nodded and walked over to the console, bringing up the database and rapidly searching through pages. The Colonel turned to Radek. "Told you."

"It's almost as if he grew up around these systems."

"He kinda did. His mother told Elizabeth that he's been searching through the database back on his planet since he was eight."

"John? Radek?" The boy called out. "I believe I have found it."

Both men rushed over, with Radek picking up his laptop to run a translation program. On the screen a cross sectional image of the pyramidal device was shown, along with Ancient text.

"You did it again."

"Colonel, there is over 400 pages of research on this device." The Czech scientist observed. "This may take some time."

"Maybe you should ask Elizabeth? She understands more Ancient than anyone around here." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Come on Ro, let's get you back to infirmary before Beckett notices we're not back yet."

"I thought you said he was able to leave?"

"Yeah, but only for about fifteen minutes."

The Czech sighed and shook his head. He would never understand the Colonels insistence on bending the rules. He reached for his radio to call Elizabeth as Sheppard and Ro left. As the pair walked along the corridors, Ro was carefully studying what he was seeing again. Sheppard was doing his best to steer him away from obstacles as the boy was lost in this new world. After a few minutes, Sheppard tensed up as he realised where they were. They were outside McKay's quarters. Seeing the Colonels apprehension, the boy walked over and gently tapped his shoulder.

"Are you okay John?"

"Yeah, it's just..." Sheppard leaned back against a pole and rested his weight against it. "He's not here." The pilot closed his eyes as he was remembered the last time he had visited this corridor. It was the day after the Wraith attack and the first day he had forgiven himself for his behaviour to his friend. It was also the first warm shower he had had in a long time. The boy had been right that Atlantis was reacting to his self-loathing. He had been so excited that he had run all the way over to his friend's quarters, before discovering that the doors remained sealed. "Atlantis won't let anyone into these quarters."

"I do not understand."

"We lost Rodney about six months ago in a stupid ambush. The worst part about it was it could have been prevented." Sheppard sunk to the ground, against the pole. "Rodney made a mistake. A big one, but it doesn't matter. Everyone reacted badly to it and we stopped looking out for him. Then he got abducted and the city sealed the doors." Sheppard sighed and closed his eyes. "I don't think anyone but Rodney will be able to open those doors, but we don't know if we'll ever find him."

This was a hard reality to face for the Colonel, especially as he was only now working through his guilt over what had happened. There was silence for a few moments, which was broken by a chime and the sound of doors swishing open. Sheppard's head snapped up, eyes wide to see the boy standing in the doorway not moving, almost as if he was scared to do anything.

"What did you do?"

"I... I... just touched the door... I'm sorry."

Sheppard quickly got up and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong." The lights in the room came on and John found himself looking at everything his friend held close to him. The diplomas were still on the wall, the bed was unmade. John absentmindedly stepped through the room, before picking up a framed picture off the desk. It was a picture of himself with his team that was taken shortly after Ronan joined. The memory was a good one.

"Hey Ro, this is..." Sheppard found his voice trailing off as he looked up at the boy. He was standing frozen on the spot, having taken one step into the room, eyes wide in panic with tears falling down his face. Sheppard rushed over. "What's wrong?" The boy was shaking now.

"Kolya... the storm... Arcturus... explosion... Ford... ZPM... the Genii... enzyme... he's dead... an accident... Grodin... not coming back..." Every few seconds, the boy's face tensed as an image flashed in his mind. Sheppard tapped his earpiece.

"Beckett, this is Sheppard. I need you in McKay's quarters."

 _"Colonel, you better not be playing silly buggers with me. How did you get inside?"_

"That's not important Carson, Ro is in trouble. I think he's being overwhelmed by visions."

 _"I'm on my way Colonel, just try and keep him calm."_

Colonel Sheppard took hold of the boy, who crumpled in his arms and pulled him over to the couch. His face was full of fear and he was still muttering random things. What disturbed Colonel Sheppard was that he recognised most of the jumbled words. They were all people he knew, or events he had witnessed. A wave of relief washed over the Colonel as he saw Doctor Beckett and one of his nurses rushing into the room. Carson began to check the boys' vitals.

"Bloody hell." The Scotsman muttered, hearing the boys' ramblings. "How long has he been in this state?"

"A couple of minutes. Doc, this sounds weird, but I recognise a lot of what he's saying."

"Aye Colonel, I'm beginning to suspect that there has been some intervention by an ascended being, but no one should be subjected to this."

The pair looked down at the boy, whose eyes were still in terror. It appeared that he was no longer aware of what was going on around him.

"Doc, is there anything you can do to help him?"

"I don't know Colonel, but I'll run the full range of tests to make sure I don't miss anything."


	8. Pieces of the puzzle

Several hours later, Doctor Weir sat in the briefing room, along with Colonel Sheppard, Teyla, Ronan and Doctor Zelenka. Zelenka had finished the translation of the Ancient research on the device, with Doctor Weir's help.

"Following initial tests, I was able to confirm that McKay was indeed last person to activate device."

Sheppard leant forward on his chair. "That's good though, right?"

"If it is, that is only good news I'm afraid." The Czech pushed his glasses up as Sheppard visibly tensed. "With help of Elizabeth, I was able to confirm that device was one of many experiments around Ascension. It was designed to help body turn into energy. To give kick start to process, if you will."

There was silence at that before Ronan chimed in. "So... McKay ascended?" Elizabeth shook her head.

"I don't believe so. The research indicates that while the device did convert the body into energy, none of the test subjects ascended. It killed them."

"Vaporised actually." Zelenka interjected. "Project was abandoned quickly and device was supposed to be destroyed."

"Doesn't look that way." The Satedan growled. Sheppard had to agree with that assessment.

"So it gets lost and ends up finding its way to the Genii, who force Rodney to activate, which kills him."

"It would seem so." Elizabeth added sadly.

"So we have truly lost Rodney?" Teyla spoke up. The mood in the room had fallen on the realisation that they had just confirmed that their friend was truly gone. A Scottish voice broke the brief silence.

"Not yet we haven't!" Every head snapped up to look at Carson as he entered and put a tablet computer on the table. "There's more going on here." Elizabeth was the only one brave enough to ask anything.

"What's going on Carson?"

"Well, following the unexpected episode in Rodney's quarters earlier, I ordered every test we have available to try and understand what happened to our young friend. I forgot at the time, but that included a DNA test." Carson tapped a few times on the tablet and an image of a pair of double helix strands appeared on the large screen next to the desk. "Needless to say Doctor Biro was surprised when she gave me the results. I had them double checked, but they came back the same."

"What exactly are we looking at here?"

"The strand on the left is a sample from Ro. The one on the right is a match to one that we have on file for Rodney." Seeing the stunned looks in the room, Carson continued. "I've checked with the other tests, but I have to conclude that the boy that Colonel Sheppard's team met on M7S-282 and Rodney McKay are one in the same."

"That's not possible Carson. You told me that he has a natural ATA gene, that it's the strongest one we've ever seen. Rodney's gene was artificial."

"I know that Elizabeth." A few more taps on the tablet highlighted the relevant sequence on both helix samples. "This boys ATA gene a naturally occurring one, but aside from a few small differences, the genome is a perfect match to Rodney's. And before you ask, no he is not a clone. The telomeres are consistent with someone in their teenage years."

"So, let me get this straight..." Sheppard took in a deep breath. "Rodney touched this Ancient device which should have killed him and somehow turned him into a kid?"

"How come he doesn't remember us then?" Ronan added. Doctor Beckett sighed.

"I don't know what to tell you, but I don't think that this was the result of an Ancient device. Other tests indicate that the boy is a Pegasus galaxy native. The antibodies and proteins in his blood are consistent with that. All of the tests I can run support the fact that he is a sixteen year old boy who has been living in this galaxy for most of his life." Carson tapped the tablet a few more times. "As for his memory, my best guess is that he genuinely can't remember his life on Atlantis. It would also explain why the personality of this boy isn't quite what we know of Rodney."

"Did not his mother talk about the gifts the Ancestors gave him?" Teyla offered. "Perhaps the visions he has are his memories from Atlantis." The doctor nodded.

"Aye, it would explain a few things. Like how he knows things about the city."

"Or how he mentioned Doronda when we first met him." Sheppard closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. This was a lot to take in when he had a sudden realisation. "Ro Neemak! Rodney McKay!"

"Almost exactly the same." Elizabeth observed. A thought hit her that made her feel slightly ill. "Colonel, do you remember when we first got intel about M7S-282?" The man thought for a moment as he recalled.

"It was while visiting one of Teyla's trading partners about six months ago. It was about..." his voice trailed off as he understood what Elizabeth had remembered. "...about a week after Rodney disappeared."

"Do you think that an Ancient has been trying to help us?"

"I don't know. Maybe that device sent him to them and they sent him back... they just got the timing a bit wrong."

"Cause he's twenty years younger than he should be?" Ronan supplied.

"Whatever the reason behind it, I'm convinced that the boy lying in the infirmary is Rodney McKay we've got to help him." Carson sat down as Elizabeth looked around the room. As farfetched as this idea was, was it really any crazier than life sucking aliens, or the bug they evolved from?

"Okay." She said after a few minutes. "So what do we do?"

That was a question that no one had an answer for. While they didn't quite understand how, despite having a few guesses, it appeared that they had stumbled across an alive and healthy Rodney McKay, who was being overwhelmed by visions of his former life.


	9. Ro Neemak and Rodney McKay

Several hours later, Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir had been paged by Carson to the infirmary. Ro had fallen asleep for a few hours, giving him some much needed rest, but the boy was now awake and much calmer. As Sheppard entered with Weir, they found the boy propped up in bed, talking with Carson. Seeing them approach, he looked at them with a wary expression.

"John, Elizabeth..." He looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry about what I did at Doranda." Weir traded a shocked look with Sheppard. Neither knew which was more surprising: the fact that he was apologising for that event, or the fact that they were now hearing a distinctly Canadian accent coming from him. Sitting down on a chair beside the bed, Sheppard seemed to find his voice first.

"You don't have to apologise for that."

"But I do. If you didn't stop me, we both would have died." Ro's hands covered his face. "But I've been working in the fields for many cycles now." The accent in the boys' voice was hovering between Canadian and what was normal for a Pegasus native. He looked up at them. "My name is Ro Neemak... But I know my name is Rodney McKay." Elizabeth put her hand on the boys shoulder.

"I know this is hard, but you need to understand that we're not angry with you and we just want you to be okay. Okay?" The boy looked up at her, before glancing back at his hands. "Now, I know what you're going through is hard, but we'll be here to help you."

"Why don't you just tell us what you remember... uh Ro?" Sheppard said, not quite sure which name to use.

"You can call me Rodney I guess... I don't completely remember being him though." He sighed as he looked up at Sheppard. "I remember meeting you in Antarctica... but I also remember seeing you in a dream and I remember meeting you again at home with Mother..." He trailed off as realisation hit him. "My Mother, is she okay?"

"Aye son, Teyla is showing her around the city. She'll be back later."

"She's great... I remember Rodney's parents... they didn't really care that much for me. But Mother... she gave me so much freedom, guided me when I was lost. She took me in when..." His voice trailed off as his body stiffened.

"Ro? Rodney?" A tear fell out of the boy's eye as he trembled slightly. Elizabeth squeezed his hand. After a minute, they boy blinked a few times and turned to look at Sheppard.

"I remember..." He wiped tears from his eyes. "I remember dying in the hands of the Genii."

"You don't have to talk about that if you don't want to." Colonel Sheppard didn't want to hear how the Genii had mistreated his friend. The boy simply shook his head.

"You don't understand. I remember what happened after I died..."

 _Rodney's vision was completely whited out. It was almost like he was looking directly at the sun and it was blowing out everything else in his vision. Instinctively, he blinked his eyes rapidly, and reached out with a hand. He could see where he was reaching. Looking around, he realised that his vision was completely fine, he was just in an empty white void. The memories of what he had just been doing came flooding back and he reached towards his hip to find that it was completely fine, no evidence of the mistreatment he had suffered at the hands of the Genii._

 _This was now a puzzling and slightly troubling situation to be in. He was completely healed and healthy, but there was nothing to be seen in any direction. Was he dead? Was this an alternate dimension? Was he stuck between dimensions or in subspace? He ascended somehow? The possibilities were slightly dizzying to consider, instinctively making him go to sit down. As he did, he found himself seated at a table, which was very similar to the ones in the Mess back on Atlantis. In fact, it looked exactly like the ones on Atlantis._

 _As he pondered the sudden appearance of the furniture, he noticed a figure approach from his side and sit next to him._

 _"John!"_

 _"Hello Rodney."_

 _He couldn't believe his eyes. His best friend was there, sitting next to him._

 _"You found me, I knew that you would come for me. How did you find me?"_

 _"I didn't need to find you Rodney."_

 _"What is that supposed to mean?"_

 _One of Rodney's earlier thoughts began creeping back into his head._

 _"I'm dead, aren't I? And you're not really Sheppard, are you?"_

 _The man sitting next to him shook his head._

 _"This was just the image was easiest for you to accept."_

 _"So I'm dead?"_

 _"Yes... well no... kinda."_

 _"That has to be one of the worst possible answers to that question."_

 _The Sheppard look-a-like chuckled at that._

 _"I suppose so, but I'm working with what I've got. I'm technically bending a rule by appearing to you like this."_

 _While it wasn't his friend, Rodney had to admit that it sure sounded and felt like he was really there. Realisation dawned to him about what he was just told._

 _"You're an Ancient, aren't you?" The Sheppard clone smiled and tapped his nose. "Don't you have a rule against interfering in the affairs of humans?"_

 _"Hence the bending of the rules. But I'm not technically interfering here as your body did in fact die and you are no longer on that plane of existence."_

 _"So, are you here to help me ascend? Or have I done that already?"_

 _Not-Sheppard sighed and shook his head._

 _"This is the awkward part. Your body died, but your mind did not. The device the Genii had you work on was not a weapon. It was one of our earliest experiments at Ascension. It was not successful. It did convert the body into energy, but the mind remained alive, trapped in this" Not-Sheppard pointed to the white void surrounding them. "This plane of existence. Neither dead nor alive."_

 _"So I'm stuck here for eternity? What on earth am I going to do? I can't interact with anyone, or build anything? I'll go nuts!"_

 _Not-Sheppard put his hand on Rodney's shoulder to help calm him down._

 _"You are not stuck here Rodney. That is why I am visiting you. I cannot help you ascend, as there is far too much at stake for that. Without your assistance, the Wraith will not only destroy all life in the Pegasus galaxy, but will begin to threaten others as well."_

 _"So you're going to send me back to Atlantis?" Not-Sheppard shook his head. "Please tell me you're not sending me back to the Genii."_

 _"No Rodney. The problem here is that I cannot just send you back to your body, because it was destroyed by the failed experiment. I can however, let you be born again on a world where your team will find you and bring you back to Atlantis."_

 _"When you say born again..."_

 _"You will enter life from the beginning._

 _"As a baby?!"_

 _"That is the only way."_

 _"Will I remember who I am?"_

 _"That is not possible I am afraid."_

 _Rodney stood up, his anger building._

 _"You have got to be kidding me. First of all I die in the hands of the Genii, but I don't completely die because my mind is stuck is this... this... thing. I have to go back to Atlantis so that the Wraith don't destroy all life, but the only way for that to happen is for me to be born as a baby and have to start life all over again without any of the knowledge I have gained, which would probably be so critical to my usefulness in stopping the Wraith?! I'm sorry, but that is just not good enough!"_

 _Rodney turned and started to walk away, into the void. Not-Sheppard quickly appeared at his side keeping pace._

 _"It is all I am allowed to do Rodney."_

 _"Well try and think this through, when the real John Sheppard finds me, is he going to recognise me? Or will I still be an infant when that happens, huh?"_

 _The pair both stopped and stared at each other. Not-Sheppard looked as though he was thinking hard._

 _"We did not consider that problem." He admitted. "I must go and discuss this with the others. I will return."_

 _And he was gone, leaving Rodney with nothing but whiteness surrounding him._

 _"Oh, come on. You're all powerful and you didn't stop to think this plan through?! You guys really suck at this kind of thing!"_

 _The white void didn't answer, but a voice from behind Rodney did._

 _"It has been some time since we have had to deal with the problems of time Rodney. For that I apologise." Not-Sheppard did appear to be sorry, which did help him calm down a little. "We have a solution."_

 _"Who's we?"_

 _"The others, who agree that this is necessary. We have found a planet and a place in history where you will be safe until Colonel Sheppard and his team reach it, but I am afraid that you will need to wait for some time before they find you. This does mean a wait of many years."_

 _"Am I going to become an infant in this plan?" Not-Sheppard shook his head._

 _"No, we will be able to return you to life at the age of four of your earth years, however, your mind will not be able to retain all of your adult knowledge. There is little we can do to alter that limitation."_

 _"This plan is looking less good."_

 _"But we will give you the ability to read our language naturally, as well as the ability to use all of our technology and tools. We will also cause many of the skills you have learned to be natural gifts, such as your understanding of mathematics and physics."_

 _Rodney was actually little impressed. Even if he had to start life as a four year old, what they were offering would be very useful. But he was a proud man and knew how much would be lost from his memory._

 _"That's sounding great, but you have to do something to let me keep my memories. You're probably already breaking some big rules here, there has to be something you can do."_

 _There was a pause as the man considered this._

 _"There may be a way." He said slowly. "The problem with your memory is that the mind of a child simply cannot handle the knowledge of an adult. It would be unable to understand and cope with such knowledge. But we could awaken your memories as you sleep."_

 _"You mean give me dreams about the life I've lived?"_

 _"In a manner or speaking, yes. Although I should warn you that they may cause you more pain than you would like. Being around those you once knew will help quicken the process. But I must tell you Rodney, even with all that we are doing here, it is also possible that you may never recall all that you once knew. We are bending a lot of our rules to do this for you."_

 _"But there is a chance?"_

 _"It would take many years. Decades even. I am sorry, but that is the best that we can offer."_

 _"Then that will have to do." Rodney sighed and thought about what was going to happen. "Will this hurt?" Not-Sheppard shook his head._

 _"No."_

 _"Then I'm ready." Not-Sheppard put his hand on Rodney's shoulders and brought their foreheads together._

 _"Rodney McKay, I promise you that you will be safe until your friends find you. Good life my friend."_

 _The whiteness glowed around Rodney until it filled his vision, suddenly being replaced with darkness. He felt the coldness of the ground around him and opened his eyes, seeing stars fill his vision around him. A shudder rushed through his system as he blinked rapidly and felt the cold overcome him. His mind began to focus only on the chill until a kind voice broke through the night._

 _"Child, are you all right?" A woman rushed over, picking Rodney up, quickly wrapping him in her cloak and held him close. The warmth of her body made him feel safe. "Do you have a name child?" Rodney felt sleep overcoming him, but he fought to keep his eyes open._

 _"Ro..ney Mc..."_

 _"Rest now Ro, I shall care for you."_

 _Ro opened his eyes a little, a small smile on his face. "Mother?" The woman held him close, a tear escaping her eyes. Instantly, she knew that she had been given a calling by the Ancestors._

 _"By the grace of the Ancestors. I am your mother Ro."_

 _The boy drifted off to sleep, safe in his new mother's arms, to grow and await the time when he would be needed by the Lanteans._

They all sat in silence for a while at what Rodney had recounted. He looked at his friends before looking at his hands.

"What happens to me now?"

"I think it would be best if we left that choice to you."

"I think..." Rodney swallowed hard as he considered his thoughts. "I think that I would like to return home with Mother. I need time to think about my future... And to understand my past."

The three adults all nodded, Carson even forcing a small smile, despite the situation. It was bittersweet finding their friend, only to have to let him go for his own sake.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Just one more chapter to go. :)


	10. Life goes on

A few weeks had passed since Rodney and Laneya had returned to the planet. In that time they had formed many valuable trading agreements with local merchants, which allowed plenty of excuses for Atlantis personnel to visit the youth who was their friend.

"Off world activation." Chuck called from the control room. Elizabeth and Colonel Sheppard walked from her office into the room. Major Lorne's team had gone to M7S-282 to pick up the latest results of trading. The sergeant looked up at them with a slightly surprised voice. "It's uh, Doctor McKay's IDC Ma'am."

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Lower the shield." Both Elizabeth and Sheppard rushed down the stairs to see not only Lorne's team pulling large sacks through the event horizon, but Rodney as well, with his satchel over his shoulder. Sheppard gave the boy a hug, who returned it after a few seconds.

"I'm sorry Colonel, I'm still remembering things."

"Don't worry about it." Sheppard was pleased to see Rodney again. Despite the fact that he was still a teenager, the Colonel had seen more and more of the Rodney he remembered come to the surface. "What brings you back here?"

"I needed to show you this." He reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of leather with a few Ancient words tattooed on it. Sheppard raised an eyebrow as Rodney handed it to Elizabeth. He shrugged. "I'm used to copying the database this way."

"I don't understand what this means Rodney." Elizabeth was a little confused. She could understand the letters, but hadn't seen these words before."

"Magna potentia..." The boy read off the leather. "Tahnan, Arami, Setas, Aaxel, Danami, Bydo." He looked up to see a pair of confused looks. "I found it in the outposts' database. It was hidden pretty deep, but thanks to the Ancients, I can read and write their language fluently now."

"Rodney." Despite Sheppard's warning tone, he was pleased to hear a little of the old McKay arrogance coming through.

"Right, sorry. This was in a description of a secret storage facility. There should be a potentia there."

"A ZPM?!" Elizabeth suddenly exclaimed, making the connection between the words. Rodney nodded. "Radek will be thrilled about that." Their ZPM was down to only a third of its capacity following the Wraith attack. Elizabeth pointed to the rest of the words. "And these?"

"That'd be the gate address, right? Sheppard asked? Rodney nodded, allowing him the opportunity to give a smirk to Elizabeth. "Shortly after we first found him, Ro pointed out the constellations from the stargate out to me. I remembered a couple of the names." He looked back at Rodney. "Have you visited this place yet?"

"Not yet. I tried dialling, but I couldn't get a lock. According to the database, there are a number of safeguards protecting it. One of which is that the seventh symbol needs to be Subido."

"Subido?"

"Atlantis is the only gate that can dial it. The other big safeguard is that you need the gene to get past the doorway on the other side." Rodney looked at Elizabeth with a huge smile on his face. "What do you say, can I borrow John for a few minutes?"

"You have a go. Did you want to enter the address?"

No sooner had Elizabeth asked, Rodney was bounding up the stairs to the control room. As the chevrons began to lock on the gate, Sheppard chuckled at the teenager.

"Maybe getting a second chance at life was a good thing for him. He's certainly got a lot more energy."

"Not to mention Carson said that he doesn't have any allergies now."

"I think even he would agree that this wasn't all bad."

The stargate came to life behind them with a big kawoosh. A marine handed Sheppard a TAC vest as Rodney came bounding back down the stairs.

"Ready for an adventure John?"

"Just like old times."

The pair walked into the event horizon, feeling the odd slightly cold sensation before arriving in a room with familiar architecture. The lights came on as the stargate deactivated behind them. Looking around the room, a doorway with a small console next to it was the only visible detail in an otherwise empty Ancient room.

"I can't see a DHD anywhere." Sheppard observed. Rodney rushed over to the console and quickly brought up the database screen.

"It looks like the stargate can be dialled directly from this console... we can get back easily. Now where is the potentia?"

"ZPM."

"Hm?"

"It's a ZPM."

"Potentia is easier for me to say. That and you won't make fun of me for saying ZedPM."

Sheppard simple chuckled and slowly walked around the room while Rodney searched the database.

"Huh. This is fascinating."

"What is?"

"Well, it looks like we're underground... And this door is a variation of the transporters back on Atlantis. It's designed so that objects are stored and retrieved this way to prevent anyone from stealing them."

"Fort Knox for the Ancients huh?"

"And about a thousand times more secure." Rodney began quickly searching through the pages. "Aha! There you are."

The door on the wall opened to reveal a phone booth sized alcove with an Ancient console inside. The difference between this and all of the others they had seen was that there were no crystal controls on the top, but two soft pads, similar to the ones on a control chair.

"I thought you found the ZPM?"

"I did, this is a secondary method of security. I'll need your help here."

Sheppard raised an eyebrow as he followed Rodney to the console.

"What do you need my help for? Beckett said that your gene is far stronger than mine now."

"That's not the important thing here." Rodney sighed. "This interface needs two people with the gene to both agree to release the potentia."

"Okay, lead me through it."

Rodney placed his hand on one of the pads and Sheppard followed suit. A hologram appeared in the top half of the alcove, showing the thirty-six constellations from the stargate.

"Focus on the address of Atlantis."

The pair both focussed as the constellations moved until the six patterns arranged themselves into the correct order. The hologram glowed brightly for a moment, then vanished. Underneath the console, a panel released. Rodney sat down and opened it the rest of the way. A huge smile lit up his face as he pulled out a glowing ZPM and handed it to Colonel Sheppard.

"Radek will be thanking you for a week for this."

"Probably longer than that."

Sheppard looked up to see Rodney closing the panel, with a second ZPM under his arm.

"Elizabeth isn't going to believe this."

"You're looking at a man who is sixteen years into his second lifetime due to some meddling of the Ancients, and you think that these..." He gestured to the ZPMs"... will be the things unbelievable about this?"

"Well when you put it like that."

Rodney shook his head at Sheppard, then walked over to the smaller console and closed the door, before finding the DHD page in the database and triggering the gate to dial Atlantis. As the chevrons locked, the pair were silently holding their glowing treasure until Rodney broke the silence.

"Do you think that everyone will understand if I want to return home?"

"No one will force you to remain on Atlantis if you don't want to Rodney." Sheppard had to admit that he didn't particularly like that idea. Rodney shook his head as the wormhole opened, lighting the room with the event horizon.

"That's not what I meant. I want to go home to Atlantis. Mother understands that I want to make my own path and that I will visit her when I am able. But do you think everyone on Atlantis will want me there?" Rodney looked down at the patterns projected on the floor by the gate. "I mean, I'm not quite Rodney or Ro anymore."

Sheppard reached over and put his free arm around his friend.

"I think you'll find that your friends will be more than happy to have you around, no matter what form that takes."

"You really think that?"

"In fact, I think that Elizabeth might even let you go out on missions with me."

"John, I'm a teenager now. She's not likely to trust me with something that important."

"A teenager with the knowledge of two lifetimes, the ability to understand Ancient and the strongest Ancient gene? I'll be fighting all the way to have you with me. Teyla and Ronan too." Rodney looked up at him. "What do you say?"

"Let's go home."

* * *

 **Author's note:** And that's it! Thank you to all those who have read it. Please leave a review to let me know what you thought.


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